A month ago, Desmond Tisdol didn’t even have an offer from the Vols. Now, Tennessee is one of his finalists in his recruitment.
Tisdol, a four-star linebacker who plays for Wilcox County in Rochelle, Georgia, tweeted out his three finalists in his recruitment on Saturday afternoon, and Tennessee was included along with Auburn and South Carolina.
☑️?? @ChadSimmons_ @Keith247Sports pic.twitter.com/ZqypXTaoc0
— Desmond Tisdol⭐️ (@Des_Tisdol) November 16, 2019
The Vols extended an offer to Tisdol back on October 22nd, and not even two weeks later, Tisdol made a trip to UT’s campus when Tennessee hosted UAB. Now, the 6-foot, 215-pound linebacker/running back has the Vols as a finalist, and he’s scheduled an official visit to Knoxville on December 13th.
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Tisdol is the No. 230 overall player and No. 12 inside linebacker in the 2020 class. The regular 247Sports rankings are even higher on him, rating him as the No. 134 prospect and No. 8 inside linebacker in this cycle.
The versatile and athletic linebacker not only excels on the football field, but he stands out as a baseball and basketball player, too. As a junior last season, Tisdol hit .340 from the plate in baseball and averaged around 18 points a game on the court in basketball.
On the football field, Tisdol plays both as a linebacker and a running back for Wilcox County, and he performs well as both.
As a running back, Tisdol is slippery, has a good burst, and possesses really good footwork. He’s tough enough to break tackles and lower his shoulder, but he’s shifty enough to evade defenders and escape a tackle when it looks like he should be brought down. Defensively, Tisdol has good pursuit and can make some violent tackles. He tends to be in the right place at the right time, and he’s disruptive both on defense and special teams. He uses that same good footwork on offense to balance himself and make plays on defense, too. Tisdol plays both inside and comes off the edge as a linebacker.
As of two weeks ago, Tisdol had racked up 49 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 14 quarterback pressures, two interceptions (both returned for touchdowns), a fumble recovery, and a blocked kick on defense. On offense, Tisdol has amassed over 600 yards rushing on the season.
Right now, it would appear that Tisdol is being recruited primarily as a linebacker by Tennessee, though both linebacker and running back are certainly options for the talented four-star athlete.
The Vols currently have one running back and three projected linebackers committed to them in their 2020 class. Three-star Maryville standout Tee Hodge is UT’s lone running back commit, and four-star teammates Bryson Eason and Martavius French from Whitehaven are two inside linebackers committed to Tennessee. Three-star Jimari Butler is listed as a weak-side defensive end, but he likely projects as an outside linebacker for the Vols. Whitehaven defender Tamarion McDonald is listed as an outside linebacker by recruiting services, but he’ll likely end up as a defensive back in some capacity for Tennessee.
Our Take:
As of right now, Tennessee should feel pretty good with where they sit with Tisdol. Both Auburn and South Carolina will give the Vols a fight, but UT is in the driver’s seat with the four-star linebacker right now. Having him come in on an official visit in a month is very good news, and Tennessee has to like their chances of landing Tisdol in this class.
